Improvement in combined house, bridge, boat, and wagon-body



House, Bridge,

' the berths UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES c. ADAMS, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.,-

.IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED HOUSE, BRIDGE, BOAT, AND WAGON-BODY.'

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent N 34,399, dated February 18, 1862.

To all whom; t may concern:

' Be it known that I, JAMES C. ADAMS, of Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain new and useful AImprovements-i'n Combined Boat, andg'Wagon-Body; and Ido hereby declare that the following'isa full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw' vings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In the v.annexed drawings, making part of this specification, Figures l and 3 represent diierent views ofthe house. l A represents one of the side boards of the ho'use. .These boards are made of threefourths-inch-stuff jointed and firmly secured together by'means of cross-ribs or any other suitablemanner, and are made six feet high and. 'eighteen feet long. There are two of these side pieces, and they are providedwith staples at their ends, which protrude through" openings in the endpieces B B, and are fastened to saidend pieces by means of keys or otherwise,'as shown at b b, Fig. 3. l Four ofthe end pieces B B are used, which may be made six feet high and five feet wide, leaving two feet for the door C, which is hinged to one of them. The iloor of the house is formed by two 'beards made somewhat similar to the side boards and of the same, dimensions. These lioor-boards lieupon sleepers DD,'which are constructed of three by four inch scantling and inthe manner seen in Fig. 6. Four or sixof these pieces of scantling may be used, or

more, if necessary.

G G represent partitionfboards, to whichcleats are nailed for the purpose of forming H H for the men to sleep in. There are six berths on each side capable of holding two men eachf Thus twenty-four men are provided with sleeping-berths.' The door of the house is capable of holding twentysix men comfortably. Thus the capacity of this sized house is ample for fifty men.

-Oleats are nailed upon thejboat, as' shown v at w cc, so that it will not rest close to the top I boards, but will leave a space between i tand them for Ventilating purposes. It fwill'be seen that this ventilation is veryl perfect, be

ing over the men, so that they are not liable to take cold from currents of air. s l

F represents, as has ybeen stated, the boat.

vThis boat also. answers the purpose -of a wagon-body. It is placed upon the wagon, and the boards of the house, all except kthe sides and bottom, 'are stored away in the bottom of it. The'sides and lbottom boards are laid upon the wagon, and then the boat, or body is. placed upon them. f l

The lumber composing the house does not till more than six or eight inches of the space in the bottom of the boat, so that said boat or body may be used vfor other'purposes also. Two houses may be carried in one wagon, in which case the boat of the second house is inverted and placed upon the one in'which the houses are placed, and thus .a cover is made for the body. Two boats may be always to one wagon for making a body and cover, iE itis thought best.

when a bridge is to be formed,- tho boats are all placed side. by side, and' the sleepersv D D are laid across the boats in the manner shown in Fig. 2, the notch s being' placed upon one edge of one boat and.. the notches s s" being placed upon the two edges of the next boat. -The lumber forming the house 1s then placed upon these sleepers, and `is suf ticient to makea double row of boards over;

the boats. -Thus a very strong ponton-bridge is made lvery quickly. l, The lumber in the house and boat will'not weigh over ve hundred pounds. v build with much less weight, however, thanthis.

This house can be put up in a' fewmo ments, and it can be taken down and packed awayin the body 'sooner than the ordinary tents could which wouldl hold as many menas it does.

Having thusfnlly described my inve n,t ;i0n, v what I claim as new, and desire to secnrebv The within-described .house or fits equi'va; :be converted into the usesA lent, lwhich can herein set forth.

JAS. C. ADAMS?.

Witnesses:

C. M. ALEXANDER, S. 0.'.IonNson.

'I expect to. 

